Sofa Song
by Francesca Jones
Summary: ...It means that, well, nothing about us is easy. And hating you would be easy... Jess remembers the little things, even after everything that's happened. Maybe it is what it is doesn't have to be so bad. season 7ish. Complete!
1. Chapter 1

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N: **This is what happens when I'm sick, I guess. Is it angst? Is it fluff? Damned if I know. Title comes from the song of the same name by **The Kooks**. Enjoy, review if you like. Set a little later in Season 7, with the assumption that nothing's been resolved yet.

**Sofa Song**

The heat was unbearable. Rory could feel the cool autumn breeze attempting to push her backwards, but it didn't faze her at all. The wind didn't change the fact that she was ridiculously warm. She'd walked out of her mom's house in jeans and an old, black T-shirt. The only reason she'd wrapped the green scarf around her neck was that it was cute. Now though, she removed it in an attempt to cool down.

Rory pushed open the diner door, desperate for something cold to drink. Luke was behind the counter, coffee pot in hand, as he talked to someone sitting there with his elbows on the counter. Rory blinked a few times as she watched the scene unfold. Even if she hadn't seen Luke's smile and easy mannerisms (neither of which anybody had seen since he and Lorelai broke up), she would've recognized the back of his head anywhere. She could feel tiny beads of sweat making little trails down her forehead.

As she watched, Jess's shoulders straightened a little. He knew someone's eyes were on him, and he probably knew who it was too. She wouldn't put it past him. She always knew when his hazel eyes were covertly following her movements, how could he not know when she was watching him?

He turned his head to the side, still listening to whatever Luke was saying to him. Out of the corner of his eye though, he caught her gaze. She could see his smirk, even from that angle, before he turned completely back around towards Luke.

Rory took a shaky breath and used her scarf to dry her forehead. The diner was sweltering hot. She looked around, wondering how anyone else could handle this heat. She walked up to the counter, keeping her eyes straight ahead.

"Rory." Luke said, looking up as she approached. "Hey."

"Hi, Luke." As if their interactions weren't awkward enough since the rift between him and her mother, they really needed Jess sitting there, avoiding eye contact.

"Coffee?" Luke asked, his gaze shifting back to his nephew.

Rory nodded, sliding onto a stool. "Can you put a bunch of ice cubes in it though?"

Jess lifted his head at this comment and turned to face her. He smirked, but still didn't quite meet her eyes, "Finally gave in to the iced coffee trend?"

Rory stared at him for a moment, unblinking. He had a little patch of hair on his chin now. That was new. The sweat was still pouring down her face, and the fact that she was confronted with Jess for the first time since she went to Philadelphia and emotionally pummeled him for her own benefit.

"It's just so hot in here." Rory said, more to herself than to him. She turned back towards the counter, where Luke was looking at her worriedly while dropping ice cubes into a coffee mug.

"Rory…" Jess started, but Rory heard no more than that. Her eyes closed and she slid off her stool into Jess's arms, completely unconscious.

-0-0-0-0-

The pounding behind her eyes felt like it was causing her entire head to move in circles. Rory opened her eyes and saw nothing but a spinning ceiling. She closed her eyes tightly and let out a long, shaky sigh.

Rory pushed herself up and tried to open her eyes again. She recognized Luke's apartment instantly, as well as the yellow blanket she was covered with. It used to lie on Jess's bed, about a million lifetimes ago.

"You shouldn't be sitting up." A voice entered the room. Rory looked up just as Jess entered the room, holding a plate in one hand.

"I shouldn't be in here." Rory responded, attempting to lift her head. The spinning quickened though, and she was forced back into a laying position.

"Agreed." Jess said, coming over to the sofa. "You should never have left your house. What were you thinking? Your temperature's like, 105."

Rory furrowed her brow. She didn't remember feeling sick at all. She just remembered feeling hot.

"I thought it was just warm out." Rory said weakly.

Jess shook his head with a small smirk. "You've always done that."

"Done what?" Rory demanded. She opened her eyes briefly, and saw that he was sitting on the coffee table across from her. He looked good, but he always looked good. The green of his long-sleeved shirt brought out the gold in his eyes, and his hair was getting longer.

"You've never been able to realize you're sick. You're always too busy with everything else that needs to get done."

There was a long, pregnant pause and Rory didn't know how to respond to this observation about her. She tended to forget that he knew her so well, or at least that he had at one point.

"I cut up some oranges and some pineapple." Jess continued, looking down at the plate he'd brought with him. "I don't know if you feel like eating now, but…when you do."

There it was again, that bizarre knowledge of her inner workings. She always wanted fruit when she was sick. She'd refuse anything else. He remembered. After their horrible last meeting, he still retained the knowledge of what foods comforted her when she was sick.

"Jess…" Rory started, straining to sit up from the sofa again.

"Don't move. What do you want? I'll get it." Jess said softly, cutting her off.

"Stop!" Rory exclaimed, her head reeling from her sudden shift in volume. She brought a hand to her forehead and was glad that her closed eyes prevented tears. "Stop being nice to me."

"You're sick." Jess said. "You passed out in Luke's diner. I'm just trying to help."

"I don't want your help!" Rory shouted. Even as she said it, she could tell her strange new anger was completely unwarranted. "I never asked for you to help me."

Jess looked down at the floor. "Huh."

"God, I don't even know why I'm yelling at you. Especially after…" Rory trailed off.

"Last time." Jess finished, not without his own tinge of anger.

Rory nodded. "Yeah, last time."

"It's like I said, it is what it is." Jess said. His voice was losing volume, and Rory knew that she'd upset him. That was his giveaway: that low, distant voice and then that moment where he sank into thoughtful silence.

"I think I hate that more than anything else you ever said...or didn't say." Rory said. She made another attempt at sitting, and this time was successful. She tentatively reached over and picked up a piece of pineapple from the tray. He'd cut them small enough to eat in one bite, just the way she preferred them.

Jess's eyes widened at that bit of honesty, but then he just shrugged. "It's true. Can't change what we were…what we are."

"No." Rory agreed, swallowing the pineapple. It felt so cold and refreshing as it slid down her thick throat. "I never imagined I'd be having this conversation with you, especially here. I never thought you'd talk to me again."

Jess shrugged. "I'd say 'it is what it is,' but you don't seem to like that."

"I really don't! What does that even mean?" Rory demanded, reaching over for a piece of orange.

"It means that, well, nothing about us is easy. And hating you would be easy." Jess said. He saw that Rory's eyes were closed again and he took that moment to study her. She looked so small and fragile under that blanket, but she was neither of those things.

Rory couldn't believe how honest they were being with each other, how easy it still was to talk to him and how sometimes it felt like so little had changed.

"How's the blonde dick at Yale?" Jess asked.

Rory's eyes popped open in shock, not at the question but instead at the lack of bitterness behind it. It was just a question.

"He's working in London. We're good though, I guess." Rory said. "It kind of sucks."

Jess took in a deep breath. "He doesn't know then."

"Know what?" Rory felt a knot in her stomach and convinced herself it was just from the fruit.

"How much it hurts you to be left alone." Jess said. "I hope he's a faster learner than I was."

"Jess…" Rory didn't know where she was going with that sentence. She had no idea how to respond to that. She had no idea why the unsettled feeling in her stomach wasn't an unpleasant one. She went to swing her legs over the side of the couch but Jess's hands stopped her. He placed them on her knees to hold her in place.

"Don't move too much. You're still sick." He said insistently.

"I'm pretending it doesn't hurt. He can't come back for me. I know that." Rory said quietly. She turned her head, and they finally made eye contact. "I'm good at pretending it doesn't hurt."

"Not as good as you think." Jess responded, smirking a little. "So what else doesn't he know?"

"What?" Rory demanded, frowning. "He knows everything about me."

"I doubt that. Does he know about the fruit thing?"

Rory quietly shook her head. "But I've never really been sick while we were together!"

Jess looked thoughtful for a minute and asked, "Does he know you wish your eyes were green?"

Rory didn't respond. She just leaned forward and shakily took another piece of pineapple, giving Jess the answer he already knew. She could never tell Logan that, because she'd be met with insistence that she was gorgeous, whereas Jess had just shook his head at her and let the subject drop.

"Does he know that you're scared of pigeons?"

"I am _not_ scared of pigeons." Rory said, blushing.

"Terrified would probably be more appropriate." Jess said teasingly, noticing that she still didn't provide an answer.

"Oh, go get a black eye from a swan." Rory retorted, smiling. Jess caught her eye with a baffled smile of his own, and Rory suddenly felt dizzy again and had to close her eyes.

"You know about that?" Jess asked. The small smile was still on Rory's face.

"Luke told my mom back when they were together. She told me. I laughed a lot." Rory confessed. "And no, he doesn't know I'm scared of pigeons."

Jess's eyes widened. She'd actually answered him. He hadn't expected her to actually answer his probing.

"I bet he doesn't even know you hate The Twilight Zone." Jess continued, ending with something as simple television preference.

She did. She _hated_ The Twilight Zone. Despised it, thought it was lame, and mocked it constantly. She'd forgotten that though, because Logan loved it so she just tolerated it. And his romantic gesture had _come_ from there, from that show she despised. She'd never even thought about that. Why did Jess remember that? Why did he retain such useless information about her?

For the same reason that she knew Jess only ate ice cream in cones, or that he hated when people signed their name in block printing instead of cursive, or that the sight of pea soup made him sick, or that he was supposed to get braces when he was twelve but refused and he'd gotten lucky that his teeth had straightened themselves out, or any of the other random, bizarre facts she knew about Jess "my middle name is Zachary but don't tell anyone that" Mariano.

"What are you trying to do here, Jess?" Rory whispered, eyes closed again.

"Me?" Jess asked with feigned innocence, which was really the only kind of innocence he had in his possession. "I'm just trying to take care of you while you're sick. You hate taking care of yourself when you're sick."

"Stop that. Stop…knowing everything about me." Rory said quietly.

"Can't." Jess said simply. "Burned into my brain, right along several Vonnegut passages, Truncheon's phone number, and all the lyrics to London Calling, the song and the album."

Rory let a low laugh escape and she shook her head. The motion made her very tired and she yawned.

"You were my friend first. That's the difference, isn't it?" She asked groggily, opening her eyes slightly to peer at him from under her lashes.

Jess shrugged, leaned over, and brushed the hair off her forehead. "Maybe."

"I guess it is what it is." Rory mimicked, making a face.

Jess laughed lightly. "Now you're catching on, kid. Get some rest."

Rory nodded. "Be here when I wake up?"

"You got it." Jess said, feeling as if he'd won some sort of small victory, as though 'it is what it is' wasn't such a bad thing after all. "And I'll have the mashed potatoes ready. Round two of comfort food."

Rory smiled and let herself drift to sleep, wondering if Logan would ever think to make her mashed potatoes.

* * *

**A/N the 2nd: **This was originally a one-shot, but I changed my mind about ten minutes after I posted it. Stay tuned for a few more chapters. 


	2. Chapter 2

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N:** Well, the second chapter came pretty easily. (I really, really hope my illness isn't my muse in disguise!) I don't know how long this story is going to be, but here's chapter 2. Enjoy!

**Chapter 2**

Rory woke to the familiar aroma of mashed potatoes. It wasn't as though they were a fragrant food, but she could still pick up the scent of them whenever she was ill. She sleepily opened one eye and saw Jess sitting in the kitchen, writing in a notebook. Feeling her eyes, he looked up and smirked.

"I should've known a Gilmore couldn't sleep through the smell of food."

Rory smiled weakly. "It's a blessing and a curse." She whispered, her throat very dry.

"There's a glass of water there for you." Jess nodded to the table. He closed his notebook and stood. "I'll get it."

He walked over to the table and picked up the glass. "Can you sit up?"

Rory nodded and pushed herself up with great effort. "I didn't know if you'd still be here." She said, taking the water from him.

Jess shrugged. "Told you I would be."

Rory took a sip of the water, letting it slide down her throat. The coldness of it was a nice contrast to her warm body. She winced and said, "I'm warm again."

Jess nodded and lifted the blanket off her body, letting it fall to the ground next to her. He made sure it was in reach of her hand if she needed it again.

"How long have I been asleep?" Rory asked, handing the now half-empty glass back to him.

Jess shrugged. He put the glass back on the table and said, "Few hours. I figured you'd be out for a while longer."

Rory smiled uneasily. "You underestimate the Gilmore nose when it comes to Luke's cooking."

"Do you want your mashed potatoes now?" Jess asked, walking towards the kitchen before she actually responded. He grabbed an oven mitt shaped like a cow and heard Rory giggle from behind him. He turned to her with a smirk and said, "A gift from your mom, back before…"

Rory nodded and sighed. Jess opened the oven wordlessly and retracted a covered bowl of mashed potatoes from it. He put it on a folding tray with a fork and the peppershaker and brought it over to Rory.

"Thank you." Rory said quietly. He remembered that she only used pepper on her mashed potatoes. She smiled a little at the thought. She lightly sprinkled some on her potatoes and delicately put a spoonful in her mouth. The moment she did, her head shot up.

She swallowed and said, "Luke didn't make these."

"Never said he did."

"You made them?" Rory asked, not sure why she was surprised.

Jess nodded. "Luke's busy. I learned from him, I just use a little more milk. I figured you'd like them OK."

"They're amazing." Rory said seriously, taking another bite. "They're better than Luke's."

"Yeah?" Jess asked. "Huh."

Rory ate the entire bowl quickly, eliciting a small laugh from Jess. "Guess you're feeling a little better." He gently placed his hand on her forehead, causing her to stop with the spoon midway between her mouth and the bowl. He then moved his hand to her flushed cheek and she stared at him, not completely sure how to react to his soft touch.

"You're still really warm though." Jess said firmly. "Finish up and I'll get the thermometer."

Jess walked into the bathroom and walked back out with the small glass tube. He silently commanded Rory to open her mouth and he placed it gently under her tongue.

"Waa aww yo dwoin' hee?" Rory mumbled, keeping the thermometer under her tongue.

Jess rolled his eyes and put a finger to his lips to shush her. She sighed impatiently and waited for him to remove the thermometer.

He squinted at it and said, "Geez, why can't Luke have a digital one? Looks about 104. You're still burning up. How do you feel?"

Rory shrugged, but she knew the answer. She felt tired, weak, and her head was pounding and spinning at the same time.

"Now that you've eaten, you can take some medication. I've got Advil, Tylenol, or I think Luke has some Flintstone vitamins." Jess offered.

Rory laughed a little and said, "Whatever's fine."

Jess looked at the bottles on the table and selected the Tylenol. He dispensed two tablets into his hand and gave them to Rory, followed by her water glass.

"So, what were you trying to say before?" Jess asked. He sat down in a chair he'd brought over from the kitchen and leaned forward, his elbows on his knees.

"What are you doing here?" Rory repeated her earlier question.

"Liz wanted to have dinner with me and Luke." Jess responded. "She's due in a few weeks. She wanted one more family dinner before there was another addition to the family."

"You're a brother." Rory grinned at the thought.

"Almost." Jess conceded with a small smile. "Weird, huh?"

"Very weird." Rory agreed. "So, that's why you came back?"

Jess nodded. "Yeah. Couldn't leave Luke alone with Liz and TJ, not after what happened last time." He shook his head. "He's not doing good."

"Yeah?" Rory asked sadly. "Neither is mom."

"What a couple of idiots." Jess said with a shake of his head.

"Pretty much, yeah." Rory shrugged. "Not much to do about it except…watch them screw up. She's dating my dad again. It's…"

"Wrong?" Jess offered.

"Yeah, wrong." Rory nodded, closing her eyes and settling her head against the pillow. "Very wrong. Luke and Lorelai. It was meant to be."

"Hey, even I could see it and I, well, I had other things on my mind." Jess said with a laugh.

Rory sighed and said, "It's good he has you. My mom's got me. Luke needs someone too."

'He's family." Jess said factually. "You take care of family."

"He used to say the same thing about you."

"Huh." Jess let a small moment pass before asking, "How's Yale?"

"Good. I just went back about two weeks ago. Paris is driving me crazy. I'm commuting from home. It's just easier." Rory sighed again and burrowed into her pillow.

"You shouldn't be talking." Jess said apologetically, making a move to stand. "You're still sick. We've gotta get your fever down."

"No." Rory said with a frown. "Don't stop…talking to me." This was what she wanted, what she _needed_ right now. Logan couldn't comfort her like this. Even when they'd been in the same room, he could never talk to her like this. It was worse now, the tension she felt during the phone calls where they didn't actually say anything. There was none of that tension here. There probably should've been, but there wasn't.

"What were you writing before?" Rory demanded.

Jess sat back down and said, "Just…fragments, I guess. The guys want me to write another book. Can't say I'm opposed to the idea."

Rory looked up at him, finding it hard to keep her eyes open as she whispered, "You can feel it every time the wind blows in your face, chapping your lips and forcing your eyes to close. It isn't something that you can describe, or even something that makes sense. It's there though, and you can feel it. That strange numbness that isn't lack of feeling, but really so much feeling that you think you're going to burst."

Jess's eyes went wide. "You memorized the opening of The Subsect." He said, shocked and embarrassed for a reason he couldn't pinpoint.

Rory nodded solemnly. "I told you it was amazing. You thought I was lying." She accused.

"I guess there's a couple things I don't know about you." He teased.

"More than a few." Rory said, then cringed. Was that bitterness in her voice? That hadn't been intentional.

"I guess you're right." Jess's voice got quiet and he was upset again. Yes, there'd definitely been bitterness in her voice. He stood and walked over to the kitchen, where he sat down with his notebook.

A shiver went through Rory's body and she grasped at the floor until she found the blanket. She pulled it up to her shoulders and said, "We came in here out of the snow, and it was so cold. Remember?"

Jess looked up from his seat at the kitchen table. He tilted his head to the side. She was rambling, probably because of the fever.

"It snowed a lot that winter." Jess responded uncomfortably, not really knowing what she was referring to but assuming she was reminiscing about something they'd done when they dated.

Rory started shaking a little more. "I was in my uniform, and that damn skirt…I was so cold. We sat down on the couch with a copy of Nine Stories and you threw the blanket over us. This blanket."

Jess smirked a little at the memory, mostly because he remembered the next part. "Yeah. That blanket." He responded, eyes getting dark with the memory.

"And you, your hands, they were so warm. How were you so warm?"

"It's the Italian blood." Jess said, remembering exactly where his hands had started traveling that day.

Rory was lost in the memory, still shaking from how chilled she suddenly felt. She smiled through it though, and her teeth began to chatter. "No one had ever touched me like that before. It was so…intense. And good, _so _good. I never wanted it to end."

Jess smirked a little, not embarrassed but suddenly a little shy, and opened his notebook, inspired to write again.

"So cold." Rory murmured. "Jess, I'm so cold."

Jess looked up at her shaking form, but just sighed. "I can't give you another blanket, Ror. Your fever needs to go down. You don't need anymore heat."

Rory laughed. "You're gonna be a good brother."

Jess shook his head, amazed that in her illness she could be talking about their limited sexual past and then moments later talk about him as a brother.

"Really." Rory continued. "You can take care of people. Luke, me…when the Hell did that happen?"

"I dunno." Jess said honestly. "Just kinda did."

"I like being taken care of." Rory declared in a murmur.

"It's why you're with the rich boy." Jess said, a little bitterly.

"Not like that." Rory shook her head. She turned over so she was lying on her side and curled herself into a ball in an attempt to keep warm. "Not _financially_. Who cares about that?"

"You do." Jess said with a smirk. "Don't forget who you're talking to. I know you."

"Fine." Rory conceded. "But it's not as important as other ways. As mashed potatoes and blankets and bite-sized pineapple."

Jess just sighed at this. She wasn't even going to remember saying any of this once her fever broke, and he knew that. He couldn't fool himself into believing any of what she was saying mattered, because it really didn't. It was the fever talking. It was the fever reminiscing over the ways he used to touch her, complimenting the way he took care of people, implying he was better for her than her boyfriend. If he could only date the fever, life would be fucking grand.

"Read to me." Rory commanded through chattering teeth.

Jess looked up at her again. "Well aren't you a bossy little sick girl?"

"Keyword is sick, which means you won't say no." Rory retorted. "I know you too, Mariano."

Jess couldn't deny this fact, so he grabbed his notebook and sat down next to her. "You don't get to comment on anything I read. Deal?"

Rory nodded her agreement and Jess opened his notebook. He hesitated for a long moment, causing Rory to open her eyes. He offered a wavering smirk before he looked down at the notebook and started reading.

"I used to think that beauty was just some idea that magazines were trying to pawn off on high school cheerleaders to make them want to be skinnier, more fashionable, whatever. Something that subjective can't really exist, right? There's no universal truth behind it; nothing you can definitively point out as beautiful and know that everyone else will agree with you. So it can't possibly exist, at least that was my theory on the subject. I was wrong though, wrong on a scale that I didn't even know existed. It's not something I've accepted lightly, in fact part of me still thinks that everything I'm about to write is a lie. I've been wrong before and maybe I'm wrong now.

This story probably won't provide any sort of answer to any life-altering question. It won't offer you any perspective or lead you to some obscure epiphany. That's not the kind of person I am so fuck that if you think that's the kind of book I'm going to write. I'm just trying to get this all out onto paper before I forget it, or before I become so bitter that the beauty is lost on me. I guess I'd better hurry up then. This is the story of a girl, because I'll be damned if every story isn't about a girl."

Jess looked up at Rory's form. Her muscles had relaxed a little and she was sleeping again. He stood and pulled the blanket up over her shoulders. He was tempted to bend over and kiss her forehead, but he didn't think it'd be appropriate. He went over to the kitchen table so he could write some more.


	3. Chapter 3

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N: **Well, I'm feeling better. Thanks to those who expressed concern! Chapter 3 came pretty quickly too, as is chapter 4. I'm predicting a total of 7 chapters, but we'll see. My muse/illness may have other plans. Thanks for the reviews! I kinda love you all!

**Chapter 3**

"How's she doing?" Luke asked Jess as he walked down the stairs into the diner. He diligently wrote down an order as he waited for a response.

"She's asleep again." Jess said simply, walking behind the counter and grabbing the telephone. "Their number still the same?"

"What are you doing?" Luke asked, turning to look at Jess.

"Calling Lorelai so she knows where her daughter is." Jess said it slowly, as though Luke had suddenly lost most of his IQ points.

"You're gonna call Lorelai." Luke stated, dumbfounded.

Jess raised an eyebrow and extended the phone. "You wanna do it?"

"No." Luke said quickly, ripping the order off his pad and handing it to Cesar. "No." He repeated, as though Jess hadn't heard him the first time.

"OK then." Jess said, rolling his eyes. "Geez." He muttered with a shake of his head as he dialed the number. He still knew it by heart, which was funny because he hadn't utilized it that much when he'd had an opportunity.

The phone rang a few times and then the call connected, but there were a few moments of silence before Lorelai started breathing heavily into the phone. "I stubbed my toe trying to answer in time. Make it good."

Jess took a deep breath. "Lorelai, this is Jess."

"Jess." Lorelai repeated.

"Jess. Mariano."

"Jess Mariano." Lorelai parroted, still sounding baffled.

"Luke's nephew?" Jess said, wondering if she actually didn't know who he was.

"I haven't had a lobotomy, I'm just confused." Lorelai responded. "What year is it? I haven't traveled back in time, have I? Because I totally would've picked a better year than 2002. Early 1960s maybe, I would be so cute in a British mod dress."

Jess was silent for a moment, and then asked, "Are you done?"

"I suppose, though I've got plenty more time travel humor I could utilize."

"I'm calling because of Rory. She's sick."

"Sick?" Lorelai asked, panicked. "What do you mean 'sick'?"

"She's got a bad fever. She fainted in the diner." Jess responded. "She's asleep in Luke's apartment now."

"Luke's apartment." Lorelai said dumbly. She took in a shaky breath and said, "I'll be right over."

Jess threw a protective glance at Luke, who was serving a couple by the window. He didn't want any sort of confrontation between the two, especially not with Rory in the state she was.

"You don't have to." Jess said. "She's just sleeping. I'll bring her home when her fever breaks and she feels a little better."

"No." Lorelai said. "When Rory gets sick, she needs to be taken care of a certain way. She needs-."

"Fruit. Did that already. Oranges and pineapple. We didn't have any grapes." Jess cut her off coolly, smirking.

"O-oh." Lorelai stammered, surprised. "But she's going to want-."

"Mashed potatoes. That's done too. She ate them all, then went back to sleep." Jess felt a strange sense of pride in his ability to take care of Rory.

"But there's other things!" Lorelai insisted. "She likes-."

"To be read to. I did that already. Cold water but no ice cubes. Herbal tea with lemon. A few games of gin rummy if she wants company, solitaire if she doesn't. I know." Jess listed quickly.

"Yeah." Lorelai said quietly. "I guess you do. Alright. Get her home safe as soon as you can."

"I will." Jess promised.

"And if you do _anything_ funny, you're gonna be the one with a lobotomy." Lorelai threatened before hanging up the phone.

Jess hung up the phone with a smirk.

"She coming to get her?" Luke demanded from behind him.

Jess jumped and then sighed. "Geez, you definitely have a career in covert ops. Make a noise or something next time. No, I told her I'd bring Rory home when she was feeling better."

"Oh." Luke said uncomfortably. "Thanks."

Jess shrugged. "No big deal. I'll help you close early, and we'll have dinner with Liz and TJ down here instead of upstairs. That way she can rest."

"And you can be here if she needs you." Luke finished with a smirk.

"She's got a 105 degree fever." Jess responded. "We can't leave her alone."

Luke shook his head. "If it wasn't her, you wouldn't be doing any of this."

Jess opened his mouth to respond, and then just shrugged. "You're not wrong." Then he smirked and said, "It is what it is."

Luke looked confused, then said, "That doesn't even make sense."

"Trust me, Uncle Luke. I know." Jess said, more amused than he should've been.

* * *

There was no sequential order of events. There was no scenery or props. There wasn't even any color. Just faces. Not floating heads like The Wizard of Oz or anything, just…faces. Two faces to be exact. Logan's mostly, blonde, smiling, mouthing the word 'Ace' over and over. At least that's what she assumed he was mouthing, she couldn't hear him and she couldn't read his lips.

Intermittently though, Jess was there in every form she recognized. From his younger days, that scowl firmly in place to the pathetic, long-haired version of himself from when he'd asked her to run away to the soft-eyed, sarcastic yet gentle man who'd come back into her life a little less than a year earlier. Sometimes his form spoke to her; sometimes it just looked at her with those eyes she knew so well.

His whisper was faint, but it was audible, "So much feeling that you think you're going to burst." Then he was gone again, and Logan had reclaimed his rightful position in her mind's eye.

Rory's eyes popped open. She shot up on the couch, breathing a little heavier than she should've been. She could feel sweat at her hairline and all over her forehead.

"Hey, you OK?" Jess asked. Rory's head quickly turned to Luke's extra bed, the bed that used to be his, where he was currently laying. His shoes were off and his legs were crossed at the ankle. He put down the novel he was reading and got off the bed.

"Fever dreams." Rory said weakly, falling back down onto the couch. "You're still here."

"You keep saying that." Jess responded, walking over to her. He looked down at her thoughtfully and said, "You're sweating. Did your fever break?"

Rory shrugged helplessly. "I don't know."

Jess touched her forehead with two fingers and said, "You're not as warm." He picked the thermometer up and said, "Mouth."

Rory let him place the thermometer under her tongue while she looked up at him with big eyes. Every time she'd woken up, he'd been there ready to take care of her. It was a nice feeling, having him there so consistently.

Jess could feel her eyes, but he didn't meet them. He took the thermometer out of her mouth and studied the red bar. He looked at her with a smirk. "99. It broke."

Rory nodded. "Good." She murmured, still thinking about the dream she'd had while asleep. "What time is it?"

"A little after nine."

Rory moaned and pressed the heels of her hands against her eyes. "I've been here all day. Where's Luke?"

"Downstairs with TJ and Liz. We had dinner down there. I came up here to "check on you" when TJ broke out the Etch-A-Sketch." Jess shuddered visibly as he said it.

Rory laughed a little and sat back up. "Is there more Tylenol? My head still hurts a little."

Jess nodded and grabbed the bottle. He gave her the pills and her cold water. She smiled thoughtfully, "No ice." She whispered.

"Nope." Jess agreed, smiling back at her knowingly.

"How's your mom?"

"Good." Jess said, sitting down. "Fat."

"Jess!" Rory said with a laugh.

"Well she is." Jess said with a shrug. "She's happy. It's…not bad. Weird, but not bad."

"Do you talk to other people like you talk to me?" Rory demanded suddenly, looking at his thoughtful expression.

"What?" Jess tilted his head as he looked at her in confusion.

"I was just wondering…" Rory started, and then trailed off. "If…"

"Chris and Matthew. I mean, we talk. They know about my mom and Stars Hollow and stuff." He thought for a moment. "Luke, I guess, about some things. I don't like talking to most people."

"Oh." Rory said quietly, not upset but just thoughtful about his response. "You still consider me a friend, Jess? After everything I did…"

Jess sighed and ran a hand through his hair. "I've fucked up too, Rory. It's not like you've got a monopoly on it or something. I mean, it's not like that night in Philadelphia left me doing cartwheels, but it was one night. There were a million other nights that ended well between us."

Rory smiled weakly. "I wouldn't say a million."

"So I exaggerate." Jess said with a dismissive wave of his hand. "Part of my charm."

"It just…doesn't make sense to me I guess, that we can wreck each other like we do and then laugh together afterwards." Rory said honestly.

"Do you remember what you said before?" Jess asked.

Rory blushed, thinking he meant the memory about them under the blanket. Instead, he said,

"You said, 'you were my friend first' and you're not wrong about that. Maybe I couldn't tell you about stuff that was happening in my head, but you knew me. You knew my past, my present, and if I'd thought I'd had a future then you would've known that too." Jess said.

Rory closed her eyes and pulled the blanket up higher. She said, "I don't talk to anyone the way I talk to you. My mom's a close second, but it's not the same. What do you think that means?"

Jess sighed. He didn't know why she was doing this, but it was never going to end in any way but her going back to wait for Logan's phone calls. He closed his eyes and said, "It means whatever you want it to mean."

Rory opened her eyes, amused until she saw his closed eyes and his slightly pained expression.

"That's worse than 'it is what it is'" She said weakly, still looking at him. This hurt him. Talking to her like this was hurting him, no matter what he said.

Jess shrugged. "It's just as true though." He opened his eyes and found himself lost in her bright blue stare. He turned his attention down to his hands. Nothing good could come from looking at her.

"I told your mom I'd get you home as soon as I could." Jess said.

Rory's eyes widened at that. "You talked to my mom?"

Jess nodded. "She was confused, but I convinced her I can take care of you."

Rory's eyes turned wistful at his phrasing and she remembered the conversation they'd had before. He _could_ take care of her. He was amazing at taking care of her. He wasn't Logan though. She loved Logan.

Logan in London. Logan who didn't know she hated The Twilight Zone. Logan who didn't know about pineapples or mashed potatoes or that she couldn't tie her shoes until she was eight or the ticklish spot behind her knees. What was she doing? Why was she questioning the way she felt about Logan? She loved him. Just because he didn't know those things about her didn't mean it wasn't love.

She didn't know them about him either. It occurred to her suddenly, an epiphany of sorts. She didn't know about Logan's childhood injuries or influential events or random cravings for his comfort foods. Did he even need comfort foods? Jess liked apple pie and crunchy peanut butter on wheat toast.

But she loved Logan. She picked Logan. Because she loved him. Right? Wasn't that what had happened?

"Do you think you can make it downstairs?" Jess demanded, shattering through all thoughts of Logan. "I'll drive you home."

Rory nodded slowly. He was shutting down; she could hear it in his voice. This was uncomfortable for him and he was shutting himself off from her. She couldn't even blame him. She had no idea what was going on herself. She pushed the blanket off herself. "Yeah. I guess it's time to go."


	4. Chapter 4

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N: **Thanks for the amazing response, guys. I really had no idea that this little idea of mine was going to take off like this. Enjoy the chapter. Reviews are cool.

**Chapter 4**

"Rory, how are you?" Luke asked, standing as she and Jess entered the diner. Liz and TJ both looked up. Liz smirked as she watched her son stand close to Rory, his hand protectively hovering over the small of her back.

Rory swallowed and attempted a weak smile. Standing had made her dizzy, but she knew she'd be sitting again soon. "I'm OK." She said quietly. "I just want to go home."

"I'm gonna drive her over." Jess said, looking at Liz and TJ. "You'll still be here?"

Liz nodded. "Yeah, sure. Take your time." She smiled at Rory, but didn't say anything. What did you say to the girl who broke your baby's heart, who also happened to be the daughter of the woman who broke your big brother's heart?

TJ, though, had no problem finding a thought. "Man, she looks just like her ma, don't she?"

Everybody stiffened at the comment and Jess shook his head.

"Yeah." Liz agreed, taking TJ's hand. "You do. Have we met officially, Rory? I'm Liz." She stood.

"I know." Rory said, extending a hand and offering another weak smile. "Congratulations on the baby."

TJ stood too and took Rory's hand before she even offered it. "TJ. Man, just like Lorelai. That's not heredity, that's genetic cloning or something…"

Jess sighed at TJ and looked at Luke, who was still standing uncomfortably.

Rory felt extremely uncomfortable in this room full of Luke's family, and could tell that Jess was getting upset on his uncle's behalf. "It's good to officially meet you, but I'm sorry. I just…" She brought her hand up to her head for emphasis.

Jess nodded. "I need to take her home."

Liz nodded. "OK, baby. We'll be here when you get back."

Jess let his hand rest on her back as he gently pushed her forward. Rory immediately leaned into the touch, stepping forward. "Bye Luke." She offered, letting Jess lead her away before Luke responded.

"Sorry." Jess said as the cool air hit them. "I didn't realize you'd never met my mom before."

Rory shook her head. "I knew who she was, but we've never officially met. I…I was never sure if she knew who I was."

"She does. Well, sort of. Lorelai told her we dated, but not how it…ended."

Rory almost laughed at the word _ended_. It still hadn't ended. Almost four years after their break up, it wasn't over in any classical sense of the word.

Jess nodded to a small black car. It was old, but nice and it looked like he took care of it. "That's my car."

"Now that's what I'd call trading up." Rory said with a small smile.

Jess shrugged and walked over to the passenger door. He opened it and Rory slid into the seat. Rory ran her hand against the dashboard absentmindedly, remembering his old car and how sticky it felt. This one didn't feel like that though. It was smooth.

Jess started the car and said quietly, "You'll be home soon."

Rory sighed. Maybe it was her illness or maybe it was just five years of pent-up frustration about his moods that made her say, "Please don't be mad at me."

Jess shook his head. "I'm not mad."

"Liar." Rory shook her head. "I know when you're mad. I don't want you to be mad at me."

"It's not your fault." Jess said, shaking his head as he put the car into gear and pulled away from the curb.

But it was her fault, and she knew that. She was being selfish, asking him questions that made him uncomfortable just because she was trying to understand how she felt about Logan and about him. It left him in a state of limbo that was completely unfair to him.

"There's just so much I never really thought about before." Rory said quietly.

Jess sighed in response, but didn't know how to answer her. He loved talking to her so openly about everything, but she loved Logan and he was painfully aware of the fact that this wasn't going to end the way he wanted it.

They drove in silence for the rest of the short journey. Jess pulled up to the Gilmore house. Rory slowly unbuckled her seatbelt. Before she could turn towards him to thank him, he was out of the car. He opened her door for her and extended his hand, which she gratefully took. Instead of releasing her hand after she exited the car though, he kept their hands together as he led her to the porch steps.

Jess stopped right before the first stair and turned Rory towards him. She looked up at him with big eyes, scared yet somewhat hopeful that he was going to kiss her. He could tell she was expecting a kiss from the way her bright blue eyes clouded over dreamily. He smirked and brushed her bangs away from her face.

"I meant what I said in Philadelphia." He said firmly, causing Rory to lose her dreamy look and stare at him in confusion.

"I don't deserve this." Jess said, shrugging one shoulder. "I don't. It isn't fair to me at all."

"Jess…" Rory started, but he cut her off by putting his hand on her shoulder.

"I didn't mind taking care of you today. In fact, it was kind of fun, spending a day with you. Even if you were unconscious for most of it. But…it doesn't change anything."

"But…" Rory started again.

"No 'buts'." Jess said with a firmness he'd been practicing for about an hour. "We _were_ friends first, Ror. Maybe that's why we are the way we are, but it's different now. There's something else there, and I can't ignore it. I can't just pretend… I just need to get over it."

Rory's eyes filled with tears as she recognized the words as her own.

"It was you." She whispered, lowering her head to the ground. "The call…"

"You knew it was me." Jess said, lowering his hand from her shoulder.

"Yeah." Rory nodded. "I guess I did."

"I'm gonna go." Jess said. "Feel better."

He walked away without hesitation, leaving Rory at the foot of her stairs. Just as he got to his car, she yelled "Thank you!"

Jess looked up, nodded, then got in his car and drove away.

Rory ascended the stairs and opened the door, simultaneously brushing a stray tear from her eye. She didn't know why she was upset. It didn't matter. He wasn't Logan. Logan was the one she loved. Jess was just the one who knew her.

The only one who knew her. Even when she'd lost herself in DAR luncheons and poolhouse living, he'd known her. He'd found the real her hiding among designer dresses and tiny sandwiches.

Logan, though. Logan in London. Logan who she loved. Not Jess. Not Jess. Not Jess.

Rory walked into the house. "Mom?" She called weakly.

"Rory!" Lorelai called from the kitchen, hurrying in to the room. "Babe, how are you? Oh, you look awful!" She put her hand against Rory's forehead. "Not that warm though."

Rory shook her head and swallowed thickly. "My fever broke about an hour ago."

Lorelai shook her head in amazement. "Let's get you to bed. So, Jess took care of you?"

Rory nodded solemnly and Lorelai shook her head again. "Wow."

"It was nice." Rory whispered. "He knows how to take care of me."

Lorelai's eyes widened. "That's the fever talking. That's the fever talking. That's the fever talking." She repeated the statement to herself several times.

"Mom." Rory rolled her eyes. "It's not like we're back together or something. I love Logan."

"Yeah." Lorelai said, comforted by the thought. "You do."

Rory walked into her room and took her pants off, grabbing her old pajama pants with the cakes and desserts on them. She pulled them on and stretched as she yawned. She wanted to go back to sleep.

"It'd be OK if you didn't, you know. Love Logan." Lorelai said, leaning against the door with her arms crossed. "Or if the distance was too much or something. Logan doesn't have to be the one."

"Mom?" Rory asked, confused.

Lorelai shrugged. "I'm just saying." She pushed herself off the door and kissed her forehead. "It's not always the one you think it is." Her eyes turned wistful and Rory knew she was thinking of Luke.

"Sometimes it is though." Rory said pointedly.

Lorelai snapped out of the reverie and looked at Rory with a small smile. "Jess said you like to play cards when you're sick."

"Yeah." Rory agreed. "I do."

"I didn't know that." Lorelai said quietly. "He knew something I didn't."

Rory looked at her mom, wondering what she was thinking or implying, but she was too tired to think about it anymore.

"I'm going to bed." Rory said quietly.

"Yeah." Lorelai said. "G'night, babe. Rest up."

Rory crawled into her bed as Lorelai closed the door behind her. She curled up into a little ball under the covers and started to drift off to sleep, too tired to think about anything that had happened--about Jess or her fever dreams or mashed potatoes or 'I just need to get over it.' For a moment she was glad she was sick, because she'd never have fallen asleep otherwise.


	5. Chapter 5

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N: **Thanks again to those reading and reviewing. You all rock. Just for clarification, none of the events that happen after episode 7x03 happened for this story's purposes, because I started writing it between 7x03 and 7x04. Enjoy!

**Chapter 5**

A shrill ringing drew Rory out of her comatose-like state. She groaned as she opened her eyes, realizing it was still dark out. She reached out a hand and picked up her phone. She pressed the button to answer it.

"Hello?" She questioned, her voice scratchy from lack of use and her throat aching at the words. She swallowed and cleared her throat.

"Hey, Ace." Logan's voice greeted her pleasantly.

"Logan." Rory said, smiling as she settled back against her pillow. "What time is it?"

"Oh it's about 8 AM here." Logan said.

So it was 3 AM. Rory sighed. Why did they do this? Why didn't they ever just call at a time that was normal for both of them?

"What are you doing up at 8 AM on Sunday?" Rory asked, instead of voicing her annoyance over their poorly timed phone calls.

"Sunday? It's Monday morning, Ace." Logan said, amused. "What, did you sleep through the whole day?"

Rory's eyes widened. She must've fallen asleep when Jess dropped her off on Saturday and slept straight through the next day.

"Yeah." Rory said, "I guess I did. I've been sick."

"You OK now?" Logan asked, concerned.

Rory took a moment to think about that. She felt groggy and her head ached a little, and it hurt a little to swallow.

"Better, I guess." Rory said. "I had a fever, but it's gone."

"I'm sorry, Ace. I wish I could be there to play nurse."

"Yeah?" Rory asked, deliberately straightening her smile when she realized she was thinking about Jess. "You wanna take care of my poor sick self?"

"Of course." Logan said and Rory knew he was smiling. "I can make Campbell's chicken soup with the best of them."

Rory sighed at his words. She hated chicken noodle soup, even though it was a classic "get well soon" food. It probably had to do with the fact that when she was little, Lorelai didn't know that you didn't have to add water and it had never tasted right after that. Logan didn't know that though.

"What else would you do for me?" Rory asked before she could stop herself.

"Well…" Logan said in a deep voice, and Rory had to smile at his attempt to be seductive.

"Logan!" She exclaimed laughingly, cutting him off.

"Well you're better now, right?" Logan asked.

"Yeah." Rory said quietly. If it was Monday morning, Jess was probably back in Philadelphia already. She frowned at the thought, and then frowned because she _was_ frowning at the thought.

"So how's London life?" Rory asked, closing her eyes tiredly.

"Hmm? Oh, no complaints on that field. Some of the people from the company aren't quite the old stiffs my father seems to favor. You'd like English bars."

"I've been there." Rory said. "Irish pubs are better."

Logan laughed. "Can't fight you there. Oh, I've got a meeting, Ace. I hate to cut this short but…"

"It's OK." Rory said. "Go meet!"

"I'll call soon, bye Ace." Logan said, hanging up.

Rory tossed her phone on her bedside table and sighed. Not once in that whole conversation had he used her real name. When had she started counting? She liked her name though. She liked being called Rory now and then. It was a good name. It was hers. It was her. She was Rory.

She sighed and rolled back over on her stomach. Her groggy state was confusing her. She just needed to go back to sleep for a little while. Rory frowned as her eyes closed again. Jess wasn't going to be there when she woke up.

* * *

"There's my sleepy girl!" Lorelai said as Rory shuffled into the kitchen. Her hair was messy and sticking up, and she was still in her pajamas.

"You let me sleep through Sunday." Rory accused, plopping down at the table and putting her head in her arms.

"That's not true." Lorelai said, brushing her hand against Rory's head. "I came in every couple hours and woke you up to take your temperature, make sure the fever didn't come back."

Rory lifted her head and blinked at her mom. "And I don't remember this…why?"

Lorelai shrugged. "I dunno. I'm pretty unforgettable."

"Wow, I must've been tired." Rory said, putting her chin in her hands.

"Well if your fever was as high as Jess said it was, that makes sense." Lorelai hesitated before continuing, "He was here yesterday."

"He was?" Rory asked, eyes getting wide. She could feel the smile creeping up her face.

Lorelai nodded, trying really hard to ignore the happiness on Rory's face. "He left mashed potatoes, just in case. He's…different."

"Told ya." Rory agreed. She got up and walked over to the refrigerator. Sure enough, there was a bowl of mashed potatoes covered in cellophane sitting on one of the shelves. She looked at it for a moment with a smile, then closed the fridge and sat back down.

"Well excuse me for having doubts about the rebel without a cause making good. I mean, outside of delightful 1980s cinema, when does that happen?"

"I guess." Rory said. "God, I don't know how I'm gonna make it through classes today."

"Umm, you're not?" Lorelai asked rhetorically. "You still look horrible. You're taking a day off."

"I can't do that!" Rory shook her head. "I've got classes and the paper and…and…a head that feels like it's the size of a genetically enhanced watermelon." She finished, collapsing back on the table.

"You totally wish you had the haunted leg instead, right? It's so much cooler!" Lorelai said. "But watermelon head would be cool too."

"Very cool." Rory agreed. "Ugh, I just want…"

"Jess?" Lorelai asked, trying to make it sound as joking as possible.

Rory didn't respond right away and Lorelai sighed. "Babe, I thought you two were finished after what happened in Philadelphia. Remember? He kissed you; you went 'No, I love Logan!'" Lorelai made her voice high and squeaky as she imitated Rory. "He was like 'I don't deserve this!'" Her voice went ridiculously low and she scowled as she mimicked Jess. "And then you were like-."

"Mom, thank you. I was there." Rory said, shaking her head. "And I do _not_ talk like that."

Lorelai sat, waiting for Rory to respond to the most important part of her teasing.

Rory sighed, "I thought it was done too. And it is, I guess. He…he said something to me when he dropped me off here. He said he just needs to get over it…over me."

Lorelai tilted her head, "…and?"

"And it means he's not over me!" Rory dropped her head in her hands.

"So, the kissing and the "I don't deserve this" didn't tip you off about that?" Lorelai demanded.

Rory mumbled something slightly incoherent and Lorelai stiffened. "What was that? Repeat please."

Rory looked up and said, "What if I'm not over him either?"

Lorelai deflated and sighed. "That's what I thought you said."

"I never even thought about it before." Rory said. "I mean, he kissed me and it was nice, but I just felt so guilty about Logan. And when he came to see me in Hartford, he was so different and his smile just…made me tingly but Logan showed up and it was just always Logan. I didn't think that maybe…Jess."

"Maybe Jess." Lorelai repeated. "Put this on the list of conversations I never thought we'd have."

"That list is getting long." Rory said distractedly, still thinking.

"Can I offer some fabulously wise advice?" Lorelai asked. Rory nodded, placing her chin in her hand and looking at her mom.

"You know how Jess feels about this. He doesn't want to just sit around and wait. So don't make him. Make this decision by yourself. I might have spent a good number of years hating him, but no one deserves to be played with, not even him."

Rory nodded. "I hate that I hurt him. He hurt me so badly, but I still hated seeing that look in his eyes. That pain…I put that there."

Lorelai studied her daughter. She really had no idea how her voice softened and her eyes turned wistful when she spoke of Jess. She really didn't know the affect this was having on her; she really thought she was confused, not in the midst of choosing Jess. Lorelai could see it though, and it was confusing and frightening to her.

"Does this ever get less confusing?" Rory asked with a pout.

Lorelai smiled sympathetically. She reached out and took her daughter's hand. "Nope. It'll help when you don't have watermelon head anymore though. That'll make it a little easier."

"Just a little?"

"This much." Lorelai squeezed her thumb and index finger together so there was a small bit of space between them.

Rory sighed and stood. "I'll take what I can get. I'd better call Paris and tell her I'm not going to be at the paper today."

"Good girl." Lorelai said. "I'll get you some Tylenol and water, and do you want me to heat up the mashed potatoes that Jess brought?"

Rory looked at her mom. "It's ten in the morning."

Lorelai raised an eyebrow and Rory nodded, "Yes, please."


	6. Chapter 6

**Disclaimer: **None of it mine

**A/N: **The reviews are much appreciated! We're winding down, only a couple (not sure how many) chapters left. Enjoy!**  
**

**Chapter 6**

The next morning, Rory emerged from her room fully dressed and ready to start the day.

"Hey, you look much better." Lorelai said, smiling over her coffee cup.

Rory nodded and returned the smile. "I feel so much better. Still a little tired, but besides that the Good Ship: Illness has departed."

"Yeah? Good. How about the Good Ship: Indecision?" Lorelai asked.

Rory sighed and sat at the table. "Still in port, I guess. I just…Do you have the energy for another Jess-related talk?"

Lorelai nodded. "I was never really open to them in the past, so I guess I've got to make up for it somehow. Lay it on me, sister."

"I was never really convinced Jess was the one, you know? I really thought I loved him but everything was so complicated that I couldn't be sure. With Logan though, I was so sure. I was like, 'this is it. This is the one.' But now, that definite feeling isn't there."

"Because of Jess." Lorelai interjected.

Rory shook her head, "That's the thing…not entirely. I mean, ever since Logan left it hasn't felt right. This distance between us, it's not just physical. I mean, with Jess…he just showed up, like, three years after the last time we really talked and it was strange, but it wasn't uncomfortable. We just fell back into our old selves."

"And you don't feel like that with Logan?"

Rory looked up with sad eyes. "No. I don't. Maybe the distance isn't the only reason we can't connect. We've always had trouble with it, I guess. Mom?"

"Yeah, babe?" Lorelai asked, touching Rory's arm across the table.

"I think I want to break up with Logan."

Lorelai nodded and rubbed Rory's arm. "If that's what you think is best, then I'm right behind you. But are you doing this just to be with Jess, because if you are…"

"No." Rory shook her head adamantly. "No, this isn't even about Jess. This is about Logan and me. We don't connect anymore. Yeah, Jess sort of showed me that and yeah I'm confused about my feelings for him, but I'm _not_ confused about Logan. That I'm sure about."

"Wow." Lorelai said, nodding. "I'm proud of you, kid. You've never been good at the guy decisions, especially breakups, but it sounds like you've really got your head on straight here."

"One of us has to." Rory said pointedly, looking at her mother.

"Hey!" Lorelai protested. "Low blow, Rory."

Rory sighed. "I know, I'm sorry. I just hate watching you like this, Mom. You're not happy with Dad."

"I'm not unhappy." Lorelai said in way of explanation. "He loves me."

"Is that enough, Mom? Really?" Rory was reminded suddenly of her relationship with Dean. He'd loved her, so she'd convinced herself that was enough even though what she wanted and loved had changed…into Jess.

"It has to be." Lorelai said, standing and putting her mug in the sink. "I know you're worried, but don't. Please, Rory, just let me handle things my way." The sadness in her eyes showed that she had taken Rory's words to heart, as strong as she was trying to be.

Rory nodded and stood. "Hug it out?" She said with a playful pout.

Lorelai took her daughter in her arms and hugged her tightly, kissing the top of her head. "Everything's going to be good eventually." She said, and she really sounded as though she believed it.

"I think so too." Rory agreed, pulling away from her mother. "For both of us. I've gotta get to school before Paris takes over the paper."

Lorelai nodded, "I'm gonna go the inn. I'll see you tonight?"

Rory nodded. "Love you, Mom."

Lorelai smiled sadly. "Love you too, kiddo."

* * *

The phone rang a few times before Logan answered it. "Hey, Ace."

"Hey, Logan." Rory said, twisting a piece of hair around her finger. "How are you?"

"Well I'm living." Logan responded. "Just got out of my last meeting for the day. How was your day?"

"Still going on." Rory responded. "It's only noon. I've got class in an hour."

"You sound upset. Are you OK?" Logan asked, concern filling his voice.

Rory bit her lip and hesitated to answer him. This was it. If she started this conversation, she couldn't go back. Was she really ready to do that?

"I've been thinking, Logan." Yes, she was ready.

"Uh-oh." Logan said, a teasing laugh in his voice. "Planning a hostile takeover?"

He sounded so happy, so amused. Did he really not feel it? Was she only imagining the awkward silences? Was she just looking for a reason to end this? Maybe she was being silly about this. Maybe she and Logan weren't done yet.

"Do you ever feel like…this is harder than it should be?"

There was a moment of silence, and Rory wondered if he'd heard her. Then she heard him exhale a long, slow whoosh of breath. "I was wondering which one of us it was gonna be."

"What?" Rory asked in confusion.

"I knew one of us was going to have to bring it up. I wasn't sure if it was going to be me or you, but…I didn't really expect it to be you, actually." Logan finished.

"So…you've noticed it too?" Rory felt somewhat relieved by this fact.

"Yeah, I've noticed. It takes so much energy, and…"

"It still doesn't feel right?" Rory offered.

"Exactly!" Logan exclaimed. "It's like we're trying so hard to connect and it just never happens. I guess that's always been our problem. I mean, it was hard enough when we were living together."

"Now that there's an ocean between us…" Rory said, her eyes filling with tears. This was what she wanted, but it still hurt so much for her to let go.

"It's gotten too hard. I don't want to say it's not worth it, Ace, but…"

"But it's not." Rory finished for him, sniffling. "It's just not right."

"I mean, I love you, but sometimes I feel like I don't know you at all." Logan said. It was obvious that this was difficult for him too.

"I know. I know exactly what you mean." Rory agreed with him, closing her eyes. A few tears fell and she said, "Just love isn't enough. There's got to be connection, understanding. We've never really had that."

"No." Logan laughed, but he didn't sound amused. "I guess we haven't. I knew this was coming, but it's still hard. I do love you, Rory."

"I know." Rory whispered. "And I love you. But…there's more. For both of us, there's more."

"Yeah. It's funny, isn't it? The only time we can actually connect is when we're breaking up." Logan said, trying to lighten the mood a little.

"We are complicated, aren't we?" Rory asked, smiling through her tears.

"Ridiculously so." Logan agreed. There was a long moment of silence, but for the first time since he moved it wasn't tense. "I think this is it, Ace."

"I guess so. Take care of yourself over there, Logan." Rory said.

"I will. You too, Rory. Bye."

"Bye." Rory parroted, ending the call. She clutched her phone against her chest and let out a long sigh as she continued to cry quietly. She felt sad that it was over, that once again she'd loved and lost, but through it all she also felt a little relief.

It was funny, actually, how many of her breakups came coupled with relief. The last time she'd broken up with Dean had relieved her of some sort of burden--certainly the first time had as well. The only one that left her unsettled was…Jess. It was a funny thing, really, that it always seemed to come back to Jess.

Rory looked at her phone through bleary eyes and absentmindedly went through her contact list until she saw the name **Truncheon JESS**. She'd gotten the store's number from their website. She bit her lip as she debated calling Jess right now, but it seemed so desperate and so contrived. She'd broken up with Logan less than ten minutes ago, and she already wanted to call Jess? Breaking up with Logan wasn't supposed to be about Jess.

It was though, at least a little. Mostly it was about Logan and her and the fact that they were wrong for each other, but Jess was the catalyst. Him and his mashed potatoes and the memory of his warm, Italian hands and reading excerpts from his new novel. It was all those little things, adding up and winning her over before she even realized it.

Rory looked at the clock on her phone and sighed. She had to get to class anyway. She'd call Jess later though, she knew that for certain.

* * *

Rory's finger was on the 'send' button of her telephone the moment she was out of her car. She wanted to wait, but at the same time she needed to hear Jess's voice again. She needed some sort of solace; some assurance that she'd done the right thing.

"Truncheon Books. Open til midnight. This is Matthew. May I service you?" A cheerful male voice greeted her on the other end of the line.

"Empire Records, right?" Rory asked, amused.

"Good ear!" Matthew praised. "What can I do for you today, wise one?"

"Is Jess there?"

"Jess, huh? That depends. Business, personal, or sexual?" Matthew asked seriously.

Rory felt herself blushing at the question and she began to stutter out an answer. "I…well…I…"

There was the sound of a slight scuffle as the phone switched hands. "Jess Mariano."

"Hi." Rory said quietly.

"_So_ lucky." Jess mumbled to Matthew with a shake of his head. Into the phone, he said, "Rory. Hey. Are you OK?"

"Yeah." Rory said, walking up the porch into the house. "Yeah, I'm OK. How are you?" She dropped her bag next to the door and sat down on the sofa.

"Alright." Jess said. "You sound a lot better."

"I am." Rory agreed. "Thank you again for taking care of me like you did."

"Don't worry about it. No, those go on the shelf in the back."

"What?" Rory asked, wrinkling her nose.

"Not you, obviously. Store stuff. Sorry. Was that why you called, to thank me again?"

Rory frowned. He seemed very brusque. She should've expected as much. He'd made himself perfectly clear when they'd spoke last.

"Can't a girl just…call up an old friend?" Rory asked weakly.

Jess sighed. "Rory…"

"I broke up with Logan!" Rory interjected before he could finish whatever thought he was about to express. "Earlier today…we broke up."

"Huh."

When it became apparent that he wasn't going to say anything else, Rory sighed. "Jess?"

"Still here." He said. She could hear murmuring in the background and Jess mumbling 'not now.' "You broke up with him?"

"Yeah. It just wasn't working." Why was this so awkward? She hated awkward.

Jess was quiet for a moment, then he said, "Long distance relationships can be tough, I guess."

"Yeah." Rory agreed. "Very. Logan and I, we never had a strong enough connection to make that kind of thing work."

"Why are you telling me this?" Jess demanded suddenly. His voice had gone very soft, indicating the something about this conversation was upsetting to him.

"I…" Rory hesitated.

"I mean, is this just one friend telling another friend about their day because really Rory, that's not fair."

"No! No, Jess! That's not what this is." Rory's voice took on an urgency that shocked the calm exterior right off of Jess.

"Oh." He said thoughtfully. "Rory?"

"Yeah, Jess?" Rory asked, hopefully. At that moment though, the front door slammed shut and Rory looked up to see her mother standing in the doorway, tears in her eyes.

Lorelai looked over at Rory and whispered, "I broke up with Christopher."

Rory's eyes widened and she stood up. "I've got to go, Jess…I'm sorry to cut this short but I've got to go." She hung up before Jess could respond and threw her phone on the couch before running over and taking her mom in her arms.

"You were right." Lorelai said, wiping tears. "It's not enough. I just couldn't do it anymore."

"I broke up with Logan too." Rory said, tears filling her own eyes.

Lorelai smirked and held on tightly to her daughter. "We're huge idiots, aren't we?"

"Probably." Rory said, resting her head on her mother's shoulder as they both cried.


	7. Chapter 7

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N: **Last chapter, my loves! Thanks for reading and reviewing. Epilogue will be up immediately following. I hope you enjoy! Reviews are love, and BOYS LIKE GIRLS is my band recommendation of the moment. For serious, they rock.

**Chapter 7**

"Gimme a piece of pizza." Lorelai commanded.

Rory looked at the box and shook her head. "We ate it all. Chinese?"

Lorelai frowned but nodded, accepting the takeout container from Rory. The two were sitting on the couch watching movies in their pajamas. Neither had showered in a couple days and they'd consumed massive amounts of junk food, even for them. They were successfully wallowing away their failed relationships.

"I know I did the right thing." Lorelai said between bites of garlic chicken.

Rory raised an eyebrow. "Are we at the discussion phase of wallowing already?"

Lorelai nodded. Rory turned towards her mother and crossed her legs underneath her, grabbing a handful of M&Ms. "Go."

"I'm not really upset that it ended, because I know I had to do it, ya know? I mean, Chris has been so good to me but it wasn't right."

Rory didn't say anything as she waited for her mother to continue.

"It's more that I'm upset because I don't know what to do now." Lorelai finished, putting down the now-empty container.

Rory nodded eagerly in her understanding. "I really know what you mean. That's exactly how I feel about Logan. I know I had to do it, but it's always so hard, adjusting to life in the post-boyfriend stage."

Lorelai nodded solemnly and reached for the Twizzlers. "Exactly! I mean, what ever happened to a transition period? We're just expected to go from taken to single in an instant? How unfair is that?"

"Majorly unfair." Rory agreed.

"What are you going to about Jess?" Lorelai asked. "Are you going to try to start something there?"

Rory deflated and fell back against the couch. "I don't know. I don't even know if he'd want to try at this point. And really, am I strong enough to jump from one long-distance relationship to another? I have no idea. I mean, maybe I'm not meant for long-distance relationships at all. Maybe it wasn't just Logan."

"Philly's a lot closer than London." Lorelai pointed out, her mouth full of candy.

"Yeah, but it's still distance! I hate distance." Rory said. "It probably doesn't even matter though. I doubt he even wants me at this point. After everything that's happened and me hanging up on him when we talked."

Lorelai rolled her eyes at that last point. "If you call him back and explain why you hung up, I'm sure he'll understand."

"I guess." Rory agreed, sighing and closing her eyes. She opened them again and asked, "Are you gonna try to get Luke back?"

It was Lorelai's turn to sigh. "I…I don't know. I miss him so much, kid. _So_ much. But everything got so messed up. On both sides. And then he tried to fix it and I messed it up even more."

Rory frowned and crawled over to her mother's side of the couch. She put her head on Lorelai's shoulder. "Are you going to try?"

"I don't know." Lorelai retorted. "Are you?"

Rory opened her mouth, then closed it again. "I don't know." She said at last.

"The important thing is that we have a plan." Lorelai said as she wrapped an arm around her daughter.

* * *

A week had passed and the Gilmore girls had officially ended their wallowing period and were attempting to get their lives back to some semblance of normalcy. Lorelai was slowly building up her courage, finally breaking down and walking by Luke's again. One day soon, she might even end up going inside.

Rory, on the other had, was refusing to call Jess again. She wanted to; she almost did a few times. Something kept holding her back though, and she could never go through it.

Rory was sitting at the table, studying for an exam and, more accurately, staring at her cell phone. The more she thought about it, the more annoying it seemed to her that he hadn't tried to call her at all. Why should she have to call him? Oh right, because she had hung up on him without an explanation.

Rory sighed, still feeling at a standstill, and looked back at her book. The door slammed and she saw her mother, pressed up against it and breathing heavily with a to-go coffee cup in her hand.

"Mom, what's the…is that a Luke's to-go cup?" Rory demanded, eyes wide.

Lorelai held up the objection in question with a proud nod. "I went in." She whispered, still shocked over the bravery of her actions.

"That's huge!" Rory said, standing up and hugging her mother. "Did you talk to Luke?"

Lorelai nodded again. "I said 'hey.' And then he said 'Hey. Coffee?' And I said 'yeah.'"

"It's a start." Rory said, smiling at her mom. "How did he look."

"Good." Lorelai said with a smile. "And surprised. And then maybe kinda happy. That might have just been my imagination. Oh my God." She said, suddenly upset. "What if the whole thing was my imagination? What if it never happened?"

"You've got the coffee, don't you?" Rory asked with a smile.

"What if Cesar served me?" Lorelai demanded, frowning deeply. "Oh, I need to sit down."

"Mom, you did _not_ imagine talking to Luke." Rory said as the two sat down at the table.

"How do you know? You weren't there!" Lorelai exclaimed.

Rory gently took the coffee cup away. "I don't think you need any caffeine right now."

"Traitor!" Lorelai said. She followed Rory's eyes to her cell phone and asked, "You haven't called him yet?"

Rory shook her head quietly and Lorelai nudged the phone towards her hand. "It's a day for bravery."

Rory smiled shakily and took the phone. Lorelai stood and kissed her on the forehead before snatching her coffee back and walking into the living room.

Rory stared at her phone for a long moment before scrolling through her contacts list and dialing Truncheon's number before she could talk herself out of it.

It rang a few times before someone answered. "Truncheon Books, this is Matthew. Make it good."

"No more Empire Records references?" Rory asked.

"Wise one!" Matthew exclaimed, and Rory was pleased he remembered their exchange from the week before.

"Is Jess there?" Rory asked.

"Nope, Old Sourpuss is out of town for a while. Sorry, wise one." For some reason, he really did sound sorry.

"OK." Rory said quietly, disappointed. "Could you just tell him Rory called whenever he does get back into town ?"

"Sure thing!" Matthew said brightly. "Have a nice day!"

Rory laughed lightly at him and hung up the phone. Jess certainly had some interesting colleagues.

Rory walked into the living room, where her mother was sitting and staring at her to-go cup with a small smile.

Rory offered a weak smile of her own as Lorelai looked up inquisitively. "Jess is out of town for a while, and I don't have his cell number, so…"

Lorelai took a sip of her coffee and shrugged. "Well you tried, kiddo. Maybe he'll call you back now."

"Yeah." Rory said, sitting down next to her mother. She wasn't sure if Jess would call her back or not. She wanted him to, and she was sure that he was wondering about their cut-off conversation, but she also knew how stubborn he could be and she didn't know which side would win.

There was a soft knock on the door and Rory's head shot up and her heart started to race. It was silly to think it was him, but that knock sent something through her. Could she really still identify him by his knock? Rory stood and walked over to the door. She opened it and, just as she had predicted, Jess was leaning against the door with a small smirk on his face.

"Hi, friend." He said, still smirking and Rory could hear the trace of sarcasm in his voice.

"Jess!" Rory exclaimed, tempted to throw her arms around him. "What are you doing here?"

"Standing in your doorway." Jess responded, looking at her seriously.

Rory laughed nervously and stepped aside. "Come in."

Jess stepped into the house and looked over at the couch. He gave a small wave and said, "Lorelai."

"Hey, Jess." Lorelai said, offering him a slightly uncomfortable smile. "How are you?"

"Vital organs are in intact." Jess said, but his sarcasm was obviously good-natured.

"Way to keep things in perspective." Lorelai said, standing. She looked over at Rory, who was standing uncomfortably as she waited for her mother to leave.

"I'm gonna go over to Sookie's and show her my cup." She kissed Rory on the head and nodded to Jess. "Good to see you, Jess."

"You too." Jess agreed, stepping aside so Lorelai could get to the door.

"Do you want to sit down? Do you want something to drink?" Rory asked. "What are you doing here?" She demanded before he could answer any of her questions.

Jess chuckled, but it was obviously slightly nervous. "Seat, yes. Drink, no." He answered the first two questions as he walked over to the sofa and sat on it.

Rory walked over and sat down next to him, waiting for him to answer her third question.

"Liz was supposed to give birth last week, but the baby won't come out." Rory's eyes widened in worry, prompting him to continue, "It's fine. Apparently it happens sometimes. So they've arranged a C-section for tomorrow and she asked me to come down for it."

"That's nice of you." Rory said thoughtfully. Jess just shrugged in response, looking down at his shoes awkwardly.

"I just called Truncheon, talked to Matthew again. He's funny." Rory said.

"A regular laugh riot." Jess responded sarcastically. Then he said, "He's a good guy."

"I'm so sorry I hung up on you the other day." Rory said, holding back her smile about his casual praise about his friend.

"Yeah, what was that?" Jess demanded, turning and looking at her for the first time since she opened the door. Hazel eyes met blue and Rory wasn't sure if the sharp intake of breath was hers of his.

"My mom came home, and she'd just broken up with my dad and…" Rory sighed and finished, "We needed to take care of each other."

"Huh." Jess said, nodding in acceptance of her reason. "So you and your mom are both single at the same time. Does that happen often?"

"Not really." Rory said, shaking her head. "Not since…well, since my freshman year of Yale I guess. I don't know how long it'll last though."

"Oh?" Jess asked, setting his jaw and raising an eyebrow.

Rory blushed. She should've known he was going to think she was talking about him. "I think mom's gonna try to fix things with Luke." She explained.

"Yeah?" Jess asked with an approving nod. "Good."

Rory frowned. He was being very monosyllabic, which she knew meant he was uncomfortable. She hated to admit it, but she was uncomfortable too. She felt extremely tense and part of her just wanted to kiss him and get it over with, but that was one situation she didn't know how he'd react in and she didn't want to do it unless she was sure he wanted her to.

"Do you want to go for a walk or something?" Jess asked suddenly, pushing himself off the couch. "I can't just sit here feeling like an idiot."

He offered a hand to pull Rory off the couch and she took it with a nod. "Yeah, OK."

Jess released Rory's hand the moment she was standing and the action stung more than she wanted to admit. They walked out of the house and started heading quietly towards the town square. Rory looked over at Jess thoughtfully. He was looking straight ahead, and she could see even in profile that he was biting his lip. Rory looked down at where his hand was swinging at his side and she impulsively took it and tried to lace their fingers together.

Jess stiffened at the touch, but didn't pull away immediately. Instead, Rory could feel him folding his hand over on itself so she couldn't touch his fingers. Then, as Rory looked down with a frown, he finally pulled his hand away.

"Why did you call to tell me about Logan?" Jess asked, glancing at Rory.

Rory was looking down at her hand as though he'd burned her. She looked up at the sound of his voice and said, "I didn't break up with him for you."

Jess smirked. "I didn't say you did."

Rory's cheeks burned as she realized he was right. He hadn't even suggested that.

"You were thinking it though." She challenged, fairly certain that he had been.

"Nope." Jess disagreed with a shake of his head. He glanced over at Rory again and said, "I wouldn't let myself think it. I hate getting my hopes up over nothing. It's really not my style."

"Oh." Rory said, lowering her gaze to her shoes. "I'm sorry."

"For what?" Jess asked, confused.

"That I made you think it was nothing." Rory said honestly.

Jess tensed at her words and sighed. "Rory…"

"No." Rory interjected, stopping. She put a hand on his shoulder and turned him to face her. Behind him, she could see the lake and was almost amused that this was where they'd ended up. He hesitantly met her eyes and she could see something almost vulnerable there. She almost enjoyed seeing that vulnerability, because she knew she was the only one capable of putting it there.

"Let me say this." Rory continued. "No one knows me like you do. It's weird to think about, but it's true. No matter how much time goes by or whatever passes between us, we can always connect. I don't understand it, and I don't know what it means. But it made me realize, maybe I did love Logan, but I never could connect with him. Not the way I connect with you."

On the surface, Jess seemed unaffected by her words. Rory, however, could tell by the way his posture lost its stiffness that he was at least slightly moved or intrigued by her babbling speech.

"So, I didn't break up with him so I could fall into your arms." Rory said firmly. "But you made me realize that it wasn't right with him."

Jess sighed at those words and took a step back from Rory. "So where does that leave me? Damn it, Rory, you're still messing with my head!"

"I'm not trying to!" Rory said, shaking her head furiously. "I'm trying to tell you…"

"Tell me what?" Jess demanded, squeezing the bridge of his nose with two fingers and closing his eyes. He opened them again and Rory was staring at him. "Tell me what?" He asked again, annoyance in his voice.

Rory crossed over to him and put a hand on his face. Before Jess could respond to that, she leaned in and kissed him gently on the mouth. The stiffness left Jess's body and he felt like he was going to fall over. He responded tentatively to the kiss for a moment before pulling back.

"What was that?" Jess demanded. Rory was still leaning into him and he delicately put his hands on her waist.

"That's what I've been trying to tell you." Rory said with a nervous smile. "I don't know what we are, Jess. I don't know what 'it is what it is' really means, I don't know if I'm strong enough for another long distance relationship, and I don't know if you even want one. But I do know that I don't want to be just your friend."

"Huh." Jess said, looking down at his hands where they sat on her waist. He started making small circles with his thumbs as he thought. "Are you sure?"

"No." Rory said laughingly, shaking her head. "I'm not sure about anything except that fact that I want to kiss you again."

Jess smirked at that and said, "Well let's start there."

Rory's mouth met Jess's with a fervent passion that possessed a familiarity that neither had ever really forgotten. His hands pulled her closer and he slipped a hand into the back pocket of her jeans. Rory moaned a little and wrapped an arm around his neck.

Jess pulled away, breathless. His smirk transformed into a genuine smile. "That part still works."

Rory nodded as she tried to regain her senses. She ran her hands through her hair and then placed them on Jess's chest. "Not a bad start."

"It was just a start then?" Jess asked with a raised eyebrow.

Rory nodded. "For me. I don't know what you want…"

"Oh, I think you know me well enough to know what I want." Jess said seductively, pulling Rory closer to him.

Rory laughed, but knew that he was right. She knew this was what he wanted.

"This might not work." Rory said seriously, wrapping her arms around his neck. "I can't promise that it will. I might just suck at distance."

Jess shrugged and shook his head. He cupped her face with his hands. "I'm not looking for promises, Ror."

"No? Then what are you looking for?" Rory asked, caressing his hand with her own.

"You." He said simply, and Rory had to smile. She had known that would be his response when she asked the question.

"So you want to try this?" Rory asked nervously. "Knowing me as well as you do, you want to try?"

Jess smiled at her nervousness. "I could ask you the same thing." He brushed her bangs out her eyes and pressed his forehead to hers. "I'm still not perfect."

Rory smiled as she leaned into him. "I'm not asking you to be."

"Then what are you asking for?" Jess demanded, brushing a kiss against her temple.

"I'm asking for mashed potatoes." Rory said solemnly, kissing him briefly. "And reading me to sleep." Her mouth met his for another kiss, this one a little longer. "And warm hands." They kissed again, their tongues brushing briefly before she pulled away. "I'm just asking for you to be you."

Jess smirked in response. "If you're sure that's what you want…I think I can handle that."

Jess pulled Rory into a tight hug and she leaned against his chest, listening to the pounding of his heart. It was so familiar to her that she brought her hand up to his chest in amazement. She traced a heart over the area where his own was beating loudly. He smiled at her and took both her hands in his own, interlacing their fingers.

"So, I guess this is what 'it is what it is' means, huh?" Rory asked quietly.

Jess laughed at her and, instead of answering, leaned in and kissed her again.


	8. Chapter 8

**Disclaimer: **I own nothing.

**A/N: **Thanks again for rocking my socks off, gentle readers. Here's the epilogue, because what is life without a fluffy epilogue?

**Epilogue**

_a few months later_

"Jess! Rory! Oh good, you're here." Liz exclaimed, standing as the two stepped up on the porch.

"Hey, Liz." Jess said, letting his mother kiss his cheek. She then proceeded to hug Rory.

"When'd you get here?" Liz asked, walking back over to her chair and sitting down. She motioned for the two to do the same.

"A few hours ago." Jess said. Out of the corner of his eye, he could see Rory blushing. They'd taken a detour to her old bedroom before visiting his family.

"Luke and Lorelai just left. They're still fighting over wedding plans." Liz said.

Rory shook her head with a smile. "They're never going to agree. He needs to just accept that she's going to win."

"Hey, there's the big brother!" TJ exclaimed, walking out of the house and holding a baby in his arms.

"Hi TJ." Rory said as Jess stood to take his brother from TJ. She stood too and peered at the baby. "Hi, Gregory. He's getting so big."

"I know." Liz said proudly. "He's crawling so fast I can hardly keep up with him."

"And he loves the Etch-A-Sketch!" TJ exclaimed. "Just like his old man."

Jess suppressed a comment but couldn't resist rolling his eyes. "Hey, Greg." He said to the smiling baby in his arms. "Finish that Tolstoy I lent you yet?"

Liz laughed and said, "I tried reading it to him but I had trouble with it. Put him right to sleep though."

"Sure you didn't give him Hemingway?" Rory asked, poking Jess in the ribs. Jess made a face at her and leaned over to kiss the tip of her nose.

Liz smiled at the exchange and said, "How's Philadelphia, Rory?"

Rory turned to her with a smile. "Not bad. It's a big change but I got a job at a paper there. And it's nice to be with Jess."

"How about you, Reads? Settling into domestic life?" TJ asked, punching him on the arm.

Jess smirked and shrugged, sitting back down with his brother still in his arms. "It's not too bad." He leaned over as though he was whispering to the baby, "Her socks smell."

"Jess!" Rory exclaimed with a laugh.

Jess smirked at her and said, "You know they do. Don't pretend."

"How about the book?" Liz asked.

Jess nodded. "Not too bad. I'll bring you a copy next time I visit, it should be printed by then."

"Greg loves it when your ma reads The Subsect to him." TJ said, settling down in the chair next to his wife with a beer.

Rory smiled at Jess's uncomfortable look and put a hand on his shoulder. "He'll love the next one too." She said with certainty. "I know that I do."

"That's because you're sleeping with me." Jess said tactlessly.

"Jess!" Rory exclaimed, turning bright red. "Little ears!" She pointed to his brother.

"Oh don't pretend you're embarrassed." Jess said, smiling down at his brother before standing and handing him to Liz. He turned back to Rory and wrapped his arms around her waist before kissing her forehead. "I know you way too well for that."

**End.**


End file.
